A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a preposition or adverb that modifies the meaning of the verb. Examples of phrasal verbs provided are "act up" and "add up". An idiom is a group of words where the individual meanings are different than the overall phrase meaning. Examples of idioms given are "bad-mouth" and "be a piece of cake". Phrasal verbs and idioms are widely used in both written and spoken English.